A Management Strategy for Oneida Lake and its ... - CNY RPDB Home

Human Influences
Land Use
The Oneida Lake watershed covers 872,722
acres (about 1,363 square miles) of land area
in Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga,
Oswego, and Cortland counties (Figure 3).
Approximately 15,000 acres (23 square
miles) of land in the watershed within
Madison and Oneida counties is owned by
the Oneida Indian Nation and is primarily
used for commercial and residential purposes
as well as open space.
According to 2002 data from the NYS
Office of Real Property Services, there are
approximately 120,225 parcels (a plot or
tract of land) in the watershed that vary
greatly in size. The more populated cities
and villages typically have a greater number
of parcels that are smaller in size, while
parcels in the more rural areas of the watershed
tend to be much larger in size and
consequently fewer in number.
Agricultural activity is concentrated in the
southern portion of the watershed, especially
Madison County and the southern portions
of Oneida and Onondaga counties. Commercial
and industrial activities and residential
land uses are primarily centered in and
around the cities and villages. There is a
predominance of wild, forested, conservation
lands, public parks, public and community
service, and recreation and entertainment
property in the Tug Hill Upland region
(Lewis County and northern Oneida and
Oswego counties), though isolated occurrences
of this property can also be found
throughout the watershed. Figure 4 shows
the breakdown of land use for the watershed.
Agricultural Land Use
Much of the Oneida Lake watershed is characterized
by productive soils, favorable climate,
and good market outlets for agricultural products.
Over 300 commercial, full-time farms
currently operate almost one-third of the land
within the watershed (Table 2). No operating
farms are currently known to exist in the watershed
portion of Cortland and Lewis counties.
The majority of the farms are dairies located
within Madison, Oneida, and Onondaga counties.
These dairies have an average herd size of
159 cows and grow a crop rotation of corn and
hay used for livestock feed. Non-dairy operations
within the watershed include a thriving
vegetable trade as well as burgeoning sheep,
beef, and equine industries.
According to data from the NYS Office of Real
Property Services, approximately 29 percent of
the total land area in the Oneida Lake watershed
is classified as agricultural and is primarily
located in Madison, Oneida, and Onondaga
counties (Table 3). Agriculture’s economic
impact in the Oneida Lake watershed is at least
$126 million (data is not yet available for all
Onondaga
15%
Oswego
17%
Land Area
Cortland